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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. season — of the year
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. net — in sport
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. bass — low music
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. spring — of water
  12. season — in sport
  13. root — the cause
  14. net — for catching
  15. root — of a word
  16. net — after costs
  17. lie — to recline
  18. root — of a plant
  19. spring — the season
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. spring — a coil
  22. rash — a series
  23. bass — the fish
  24. rash — on the skin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com